Nehemiah 8:10b - "Stand In Your Love"

Saturday nights...God always wakes me during the night to pray for pastors. Last night was no different. He had me praying for continued strength for Pastor Sylvia along for strength for Scott with the loss of his father-in-law and Junior with the loss of a brother and sister-in-law. Then He had me concentrate on praying for my fellow pastors in this Ministry Assessment Workshop. He had me pray specifically for those who are anxious about getting up in front of the whole group today to speak. It was no coincidence He gave me these words this morning...

My fear doesn't stand a chance
When I stand in Your love

We have nothing to fear when we stand in the love of our Lord. He is greater than any fear the enemy tries to put upon us. He is greater than the fear of not being good enough. His greater than the fear of doing or saying the wrong thing. He is greater than people's words that put me down. He is greater than the thoughts of 'I can't do this.' Plain and simple. He is greater. Praise His Holy Name! Yesterday was a tough day emotionally, mentally, and physically but the day filled my spiritual tank up to overflowing. I go back to Nehemiah's words that describe how I am feeling this morning...

Last night as Dr. Green was speaking about Peter my mind went back to our trip to Israel. This picture was taken outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. That trip was special in so many ways. Walking where Jesus walked was breath taking. Seeing things such as the Garden of Gethsemane was a privilege I wish more people would have. Standing beside the  Sea of Galilee and having the Lord speak to me about my worth was the 'icing on the cake' of the trip. Last night those memories made me feel warm and fuzzy. My call to be a shepherd was reiterated last night. I have always wondered how me being an ordained elder was going to work with Doc being the one to preach. In one of our handouts it showed four quadrants of characteristics of pastors. One shared how they have four 'lead' pastors with each one falling into a different quadrant. God opened my eyes to Doc falls into one quadrant and I fall into another. We complement one another and God is, and will, use us together. I still feel the call to preach but it does not necessarily mean I am being called to be 'the' preacher. God will open doors of opportunity for me to preach but most importantly I need to walk through the doors of shepherding people. The first way I can do that is by setting a godly example on how to live a life pleasing to Him. I know I will strive harder in doing that today and in the days ahead. He has renewed my commitment to be who He has called me to be. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for renewing my call! Thank You for 'clearing my vision' as Dr. Green spoke of last night. Thank You for the way You are working in my life. Thank You for cleansing me this morning so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You be my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day. May You be greater than anything that comes before me and tries to instill fear into me. Once again I pray for pastors who will be in the pulpit this morning, especially those doing pulpit supply such as Pastor Brenda at our church. May You be greater than anything that comes their way. I also pray for pastors who fear has come down upon to realize Your joy is their strength. Thank You for being My Shepherd! Amen.

Exodus 3:14 - "Great I Am"

I am mentally and physically exhausted yet here is another day ahead. I so enjoyed Dr. Green's message last night on Moses' call. I was encouraged by his words on how God will never leave us. He will not call us somewhere and leave us on our own but He also will not be a micromanager. When we are standing on holy ground, He desires for us to participate with Him. I loved the mission statement given to us from this Scripture last night....

I came. I heard. I know. I'm coming. You go.

Woo hoo! As we live in His presence, He will be with us. He will provide words when there are no words. He will provide strength when there is no strength left in us. I love these words, "What He has called you to do by grace, He does by nature." Yes! He has called me to be a pastor even though I have a rugged past. When I asked for forgiveness of that past, it was no longer. Praise God! He did not leave me when I walked away. He did not abandon me even though I chose the ways of the enemy for a period of time. Why? Because He loves me and had greater plans for me. When I ask myself who I am, I must remember it is not about who I am but who lives in and with me! My call to ministry is all about Him, not me. I am so grateful for the desire He puts in my heart every day to pray for a cleansing in my spirit so I can be filled with Him. There is no way I can get through the day ahead on my strength. Instead I will be walking on holy ground in His strength. There needs to not be one word spoken from my lips unless it is from Him. There needs to not be one step taken by me unless He directs it. There needs to not be one door of opportunity given to the enemy through my tiredness because He will be there to empower me through this day. Woo hoo! Thank the Lord for His love, mercy and grace! He did not bring me to this place to fail but rather to flourish. He brought me into His presence to stand on holy ground and that is what I intend to do.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for Your love, mercy and grace. Thank You for the strength You will provide in this day ahead. Thank You for doing whatever You desire in me. Thank You for cleansing me so You can fill me. Thank You for being my Great I Am who loves me so greatly. Lord, go before me today and empower me to be the beacon of light You have called me to be. Thank You Jesus for being The One To Call Me. Amen.

Isaiah 43 - "I Have This Hope"

Three years ago last month I took this picture. God took me to Isaiah 43 that morning because of a situation I was going through. This morning He once again took me to Isaiah 43. I am so grateful for the way I hear His Voice. Sometimes I feel like I am 'drowning' with circumstances that are happening in our life. But I must remember I have hope in my Lord. He gives me exactly what I need and for that I am grateful. He woke me with these words to "I Have This Hope" going through my mind...

As I walk this great unknown
Questions come and questions go
Was there purpose for the pain?
Did I cry these tears in vain?

I don't want to live in fear
I want to trust that You are near
Trust Your grace can be seen
In both triumph and tragedy

I have this hope
In the depth of my soul
In the flood or the fire
You're with me and You won't let go

Yes! All we have to do is trust Him. He will be our Triumph through difficult times. He will be our Strength when we feel like we can no longer put one foot in front of the other. He will be our Voice when our words fail. He will be our Wisdom when decisions must be made. He will be our Protection when the enemy comes knocking. Isaiah 43 tells me "you are mine." Woo hoo! As this day begins, I must remember these words. I must remember I have nothing to fear...even the unknown. I must remember the people who will be assessing me this weekend are on the Lord's side too. They do not want to tear me apart but instead want to lift me up. God will give me exactly what I need to gain insight through this weekend. I do not have to feel like I am falling apart. I do not have to fear the MS will take my words and even if it does they will understand. I do not have to be tearful or anxious because God is with me. I do not have to fret over Doc's pain because God will be his Healer. He is with us. I must remember these words in this song that tell me He is "closer than this breath that I take."

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for being with me throughout the night when I could not go to sleep. Thank You for being with Doc as he was in pain. Lord, we do have hope in You. We trust You with all of the circumstances we are dealing with today. Father, cleanse us so You can fill us to overflowing with Your strength as we go through these circumstances today. May You be greater than anything we go through, especially Doc's pain. May You continue to be our Protection on the roads. Thank You Jesus for being Our Hope. Amen.

Psalm 23 - "Oceans"

I prayed throughout the night for my sister and her husband's family. When his brother passed away early this week, it was not a surprise due to health issues but still such a loss. Yesterday we received word that the brother's wife passed too. Once again, not a big surprise due to health issues but what a blow to this family. Their adult children have been taking care of them for quite a while. They would work their full-time jobs and then go care for them. I cannot begin to imagine how they are feeling right now. It was hard enough to lose my Daddy but to think of losing both him and my Momma is beyond comprehension. I remember the comfort I received through Psalm 23 when my Daddy died. It is rich in times of the death of a loved one to know God is our Shepherd (vs 1). Verse one continues to show us how He will provide for us exactly what we need. He is with us to guide us through tough days. We do not have to run anywhere but into His arms. He gives us peace in the midst of the storms of life (vs 2). In verse three we are reminded He will lead us in an earthly life that will take us to heaven as we live with Him. God will comfort us as we allow Him (vs 4). He is waiting on those who will accept Him into their heart and live for Him (vs 5-6). I am so thankful for these words of comfort. They gave me strength at the time of my Daddy's death. I know he is in a better place but oh how I miss him. On the tough days of wishing there were one more phone call where I heard, "Sheila Babe, how are you doing?" I receive comfort in Psalm 23. When I feel like I cannot continue any longer, I hear my Daddy's words "Now Sheila Babe you can stay in bed for awhile but you can't stay there or the MS will win. You are not a quitter" when I feel like I can't continue. But more importantly I hear my Heavenly Daddy's words, "Daughter, you can do this in My strength. Be still and allow Me to work in and through you." Oh how my heart breaks for this family who have lost both their mother and father. I pray they have God's peace in their heart; His strength in their spirit; and His hope in their soul.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for another night of opportunity to pray! Thank You for laying this family on my heart. Lord, be with Junior and Linda as they are hurting yet are ministering to their loved ones. Thank You for Dan driving them down. Lord, strengthen them as they go through these tough days. Lord, I also pray for us over these next few days. Lord, cleanse our spirits so You can fill us with more of You. As we are filled, peace will come in abundance over the circumstances we are facing. Give us safety as we travel many miles but most of all I pray You will empower us to be focused on You so we do not miss any opportunity You put before us. Thank You for the time I had with Tina and the girls yesterday. You are so good at providing me with exactly what I need, especially when I have time with someone from Ohio. Thank You Jesus for being My Strength! Amen.

John 16:33 - "Even Then"

I woke up in the middle of the night with an urgency to pray for those who had loved ones on life support who died when taken off. There have been a few here of late. I cannot imagine all of the emotions associated with such a situation. As I was praying God brought the words to "Even Then" to my mind...

On the nights when the dark last a little bit longer
When the wind and the storm is a little bit stronger
When the fear in my heart dips a little bit deeper
When my faith to stand gets a little bit weaker
Where could I run to?
Where could I go?
Even when it feels like my world is shaken
Even when I've had all that I can take
I know
You never let me go

Yes! He will never let us go. He will always be with us no matter what. There is such strength in that knowledge. There is also empowerment. The enemy does not like when we stand firm in our faith through tough times. He wants to destroy us. We do not have to fear him because our God is greater than anything he throws our way. We do not have to live in his darkness when we have the Light of Jesus to stand in. We do not have to give into the pressure he puts on us because we have God's strength. We must remember...

And even in the middle of a struggle
And even when it's hard to remember
You alone are my defense when
I'm standing on your promises and I know
That even in the thick of the battle
And even through the valley of the shadows
You alone are my defense when
I'm standing on your promises

How can we do this? How can we stand firm in our faith when the world is crumbling around us? How can we be strong when we are beaten down? The Only Way is Jesus. He must be our Focus if we want to stand strong against the evil one. He must be who we live for. He must be allowed not only into our heart but into our whole being. This seems hard to do. Actually, it seems impossible but it is not. Nothing is impossible with Him. He is the Only One who can give empowerment to knock the enemy down. It is only through His strength we can stand firm in our faith through tough days. I am so grateful for that strength. I also am grateful for the way He puts the desires in my heart to allow Him to live in and through me.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the time of praying during the night! My heart breaks for the ones who have been in the situation where decisions had to be made to take their loved one off life support. Father, may You be their Comforter in these tough days. I also pray for Junior, Linda, Shelvey, and Billie as they go through tough days with their loved ones. I also pray for a cleansing in my spirit so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May more believers get to this point in their relationship with You so we all can be who You have called us to be while on this earth. May You be our words, actions, and attitude throughout this day so people will see/hear You instead of us. May You be our Strength to knock the evil one down when he comes knocking at our doors. Father, I also pray for peace about this weekend. I pray for Your strength physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. Sometimes not knowing what to expect is hard. I pray against the enemy having any open doors into the situation. Thank You Jesus for being My Only Way! Amen.

Psalm 46:10; I Corinthians 10:13 - "Battles"

Yesterday was a day of emotions. As hard as I tried and prayed, it seemed like fear still got in prior to my oncologist appointment. I thought about how when I went for my mammogram I was at peace so it didn't make sense I was fearful going in for the follow-up. My blood work I recently had was also good so it just did not make sense. As I drove to the appointment, I asked God to calm my spirit and He did. As I waited in the waiting room, I once again started getting anxious, prayed, and He calmed me. From then on I was at peace. I am not sure why I went through the time of fear but I do know He was with me and that is all that matters. I will never understand how people get through such things without God. I am in communication with Him continually throughout the day. If I did not have that assurance, I would go crazy. Yesterday as I was struggling with fear the Lord reminded me of the words in Psalm 46 where we are told to "Be still, and know that I am God..." As I told our congregation Sunday, being still is not something any of us are use to doing. Our lives are very fast paced and hectic. But if we are not still before God, we will miss out so much. We will miss blessings, opportunities to love on others, walking in His will...all kinds of things. Yesterday if I would not have stopped and prayed for peace, I would have fallen apart emotionally. Instead He gave me the strength to face the situation. Yesterday morning He began my day with "Confidence" and throughout the day gave me "Battles" to sing. Both of these reminded me 'C' is a giant in my life. I thought MS was the biggest giant I would ever face but I was wrong. They are similar in they can show their ugly heads at any time but they are different in that 'C' makes you think of dying. I'm ready to go to heaven but I do not want my family to see me suffer in the process. Is 'C' bigger than God? Absolutely not! Will 'C' return into my life? I don't know but I do know God will be my Strength if it does. Why was I 'blessed' with MS and 'C'? I don't know but I do know Paul told us in I Corinthians 10:13 that He will not let us "be tempted beyond what you can bear." When we are faced with adversity, there is always the temptation to give into actions not of God. We are tempted to go deep into a pity party instead of filling our days with His Word and praying. We are tempted to get mad which is not a sin but the anger that goes with it can become a sin. Temptation can be a part of life when there is adversity in our lives but it does not have to be. We can stand in faith as we trust God to be who He desires to be in and through us. This can only happen when we are willing to 'be still' before Him.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the peace You put inside me yesterday! Thank You for the joy You filled me with at the appointment! Thank You for the way You empowered me to knock my giant down! Thank You for cleansing me today so You can fill me with more of You! Thank You for the opportunities for Your love to ooze out of me today so people will desire to be in relationship with You! Father, go before me and keep my eyes open for people You desire me to talk to. I pray for Mr. Fran who is having his procedure today to feel Your presence in a mighty way. I also pray for Kevin as he prepares for his uncle's funeral. Lord, may You empower all of us through difficult days to draw nearer to You. Thank You Jesus for being My Stillness. Amen.

 

Psalm 90 - "Confidence"

This morning the Lord took me to Psalm 90. Wow, what a packed full set of Scripture. In verse one through six I was reminded of the time God protected the Israelites in the desert. Sometimes I feel like we are in a similar situation here in South Carolina. There are so many things that have tried to stop us yet we continue the path God leads us on. Sometimes His favor is felt in a mighty way yet other times there is such opposition we have to get through. Three years ago Beaufort was a dream but here we are in reality. As I reflect over the last three years, I see so many times of tears yet I also see times of joy through the tears. Just as Moses continued to lead the people through the wilderness we will continue to lead. The physical issues we had and some we continue to have will not stop us. They will only take our faith deeper. Yesterday when Mike testified of being healed from intense pain that appeared to be appendicitis after we gathered around him and prayed encouraged me. Seeing Mr. Fran doing so much better yesterday encouraged me. Listening to the Lord and doing nothing Saturday afternoon and evening was a blessing to my physical body. These situations give me strength to carry on. They show me just how much God loves me. He knows what I need before I even recognize it. Verses twelve through seventeen teach us we need to pray for His wisdom. We need to pray for more of His love, mercy, grace, and favor. Matthew Henry writes, "His favor would be a full fountain of future joys." Woo hoo! "future joys." I like that! Pursuing anything other than God will not give us joy. He is the only way to live such a life. I love another thing Henry wrote. "Let us pray that the work of the Holy Spirit may appear in converting our hearts, and that the beauty of holiness may be seen in our conduct." Yes! That is exactly how I want to live. I want to live in the manner the Holy Spirit guides so people will see/hear Christ through me. I desire to be who God wants me to be. I desire to have more "Confidence" like Moses did going through the desert. I want a deeper faith that will empower me to be more Christ-like. Woo hoo! This picture was one taken when I was going through a tough time with MS. I was writing in my journal when Doc took it. The flowers around it remind me of how God takes care of every little detail of life including the needs of the flowers. He takes care of every little detail of my life too. He knew we needed this time by Lake Erie to be refreshed and renewed. It was twenty-four hours of being away from the hectic ness of ministry and getting our tank filled by the Lord. I think part of the reason we are here is because of this area. He brought us to this island with water all around us. The beauty of His creation is always in sight. Every time we cross the bridge and see the waterfront with boats we say 'and we live here...' He fills my tank up daily with the nature all around me. I use to only see this on vacation but now I live it. Woo hoo! It helps me through tough days. It fills my physical, emotional, mental, and most of all spiritual tank. It enables me to see past financial shortages and live in the knowledge God is in control.  Wow, God! 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for Your love, mercy, grace, and favor! As a new week begins, I pray it will be filled with joy no matter what the circumstances. I pray for a cleansing in my soul so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You ooze out of me in a way that people will know who directs my life. May You give wisdom in all situations. Father, I do not want to make any decision without Your direction. I do not want to say anything that is not from You. May You "Give me hope like Moses in the wilderness" throughout this week. I know what is on the calendar but You know what is ahead. Go before me as I see the oncologist today, do my school work this week, and end the week with the trip to Tennessee for the Ministry Assessment. Enable me to listen to You, especially when "a giant" comes before me. I also pray for Your wisdom on when to rest. Thank You Jesus for being My Confidence! Amen.

Psalm 46; Romans 8:31b - "Legacy"

My favorite night of the week is Saturday. The Lord always wakes me to pray for pastors. Before going to sleep I prayed for all pastors who will be in the pulpit today. At 4AM God woke me to pray for those who are no longer pastoring a church. Some have stepped away from pastoring. Some have retired and do pulpit supply. God had me pray for all of them to listen to Him. He had me pray for those who have walked away from the church to not walk away from Him. He told me to pray for some to realize He is using them even though they are no longer pastoring a church. He also had me pray for those like myself who are not a lead pastor to allow Him to shape us into who He desires us to be where He has us. He brought Brother Dan and his team into my prayers as they bring God to so many churches today. Another group of pastors He had me pray for are those with illness themselves and those with family members with an illness. He had me pray for them to rely completely on His strength through the tough days they are going through. Ones like my hubby, Scott, Steve, and my pastor friend with cancer came to my mind. His strength is the only way to live, especially when going through such days. I prayed for PK (pastor's kids) who are growing up in a parsonage to be protected from the hurts that happen when a parent is a pastor. I prayed for pastors and spouses to be careful in what all their children see/hear. I also prayed for some pastors with prodigal children to not give up praying for them. I prayed for my brother-in-law who lost a brother yesterday. The life of a pastor is different in so many ways. The most important way it should be different is that a pastor needs to live 24/7 for the Lord in order to be who God desires of them. Everyone should live like this but it is especially important for a pastor because they are a role model for so many. Yes, we are human but we need to be Christ-like. We need to show people how living in His will gives peace even in the midst of 'C'! We need to live our life in a way where we can say,,,

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace
Who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I pray people will remember me for God's love that flows from me. I desire people to see a servant's heart when they see me. When Jesus walked this earth, He had a servant's heart. I desire to walk in His example. Therefore, I must trust Him; live with hope in times that seem hopeless; and walk in His peace. These are the words found in Psalm 46. I love verse ten where we are told to "Be still and know that I am God." Being still is not a normal activity for many people but we need to be when He directs us to be. Verse eleven makes me think of...

No matter what is put before us in life, we must stand firm in our faith that God is in control. Sometimes He allows things to happen to see how we will respond. Will we respond in faith and walk into a situation that is scary, unknown, etc.? Will we respond with being still and allowing Him to work in and through us? Will we trust God as things continue to not go 'our way'? The bottom line is God is in control and will love us through all the unknown when we allow Him to. This morning I pray for pastors who are feeling like giving up. I pray they will "Be still" in God's presence and allow Him to work in and through health issues, church issues, building issues..every aspect of their life.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the privilege to pray for pastors last night and this morning. Lord, You already know the prayers I have sent up but I want to pray again for some who came specifically into my prayers. Doc, Bill, Scott, Steve, my pastor friend with cancer, Raynard, Junior, Mike, Ben, and Rodney. May Your strength be their strength through the situations they are dealing with. Father, I pray for a cleansing in my spirit so You can fill me to overflowing with more of Your love. May it ooze out of me in a different, new way today. I pray people will see/hear You through Brother Dan and his team today. I pray for Craig; Jay & Judy; Hal & Debbi; Terry & Melissa; Dan & Carol; and Rob & Cindy as they allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through them. Father, may all believers find the life where they walk in Your will and in Your love. That will be how more people will come into relationship with You. Woo hoo! Thank You Jesus for being My Stillness! Amen.

Matthew 7 - "Build My Life"

This morning I have "Build My Life" going through my mind. I love this song. As I sing it, I feel so close to the Lord. I am so grateful to be living with the desire in my heart to do as He pleases. There is no better way to live. There is a part that stirs my heart to love others with His love.

Holy, there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who You are
And fill me with Your heart
And lead me in Your love to those around me

Yes! This is exactly what I desire to do. I want to be so filled with His love no one will doubt He is who I live for. I want His love to ooze out of every word, action, and my attitude. The only way for this to happen is for me to be saved and sanctified. My house must be built upon the Rock. I must not allow the enemy to pull me down into the 'sand' but instead stand firm in Jesus. This morning I am thinking of the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7. He taught about how we are not to judge others in the beginning of the chapter (vs 1-6). He also encourages us to pray in this chapter. He says we are to ask, seek, and knock for the doors of our prayers to be opened (vs 7-12). He tells the way to heaven is through a narrow gate which many will not go through. We are to watch out for false prophets (vs 15-19) and bear 'good fruit' through our lives. He tells us if we want to spend eternity with Him, we must know Him (vs 21-23). His teaching on how to build our lives is found at the end of the chapter. We are to build them on the Rock and not the sand (vs 24-27). No matter what storms of life come when our 'house' is built on the Rock it will stand firm. That means having a deep faith that is willing to trust God no matter what. It means saying 'yes' when it doesn't make sense. It means making decisions in His will not necessarily what would be done in our flesh. It means not having to understand the 'whys' of life.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for encouraging me to live the desires of Your heart for me! Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace that fills me! Thank You for the way You give me the desires of my heart over and over again. Father, cleanse me this morning so You can fill me with more of You. May You be greater than me. May Your words, actions, and attitude be mine throughout this day no matter what happens. May Your strength be my strength not just physically but most of all spiritually. Father, go before me. Thank You for being My Rock. Amen.

Psalm 148 - "Ever Be"

My first thought when I woke this morning was to read Psalm 148. As I read it in different versions I was blessed in abundance with the knowledge I strive to do this every day. There are days I know I do not praise God as much as I should. There are days when I allow how I feel physically to cloud my spiritual being. Shame on me! God is always to be praised! He does not quit loving on me just because I do or do not act in the manner I should. No, instead He pours Himself into me even more. He loves me so much that He forgives me when I don't take an opportunity He puts before me to love on someone. He loves me so much when I fail to praise Him for something He does not hold it against me but instead loves me through it. If I desire to be Christ-like, then I need to have praises on my lips at all time. These words to "Ever Be" are going through my mind this morning...

And You will be praised and you will be praised.
With angels and saints we sing worthy are you, Lord
And it's what I sing Your praise will ever be on my lips, ever be on my lips

Yes! That is what I desire...to "Ever Be" praising God. No matter what my circumstances, I desire to praise Him. No matter how my physical body is feeling, I desire to praise Him. No matter how the finances are, I desire to praise Him. No matter what people do or say to me, I desire to praise Him. No matter how heavy my heart is as I pray for others, I desire to praise Him. Plain and simple. I desire to praise Him. I just need to get better at it. I need to remember the words He brought to me this morning from Psalm 148. He created us to praise Him. He redeemed us to praise Him. He loves on us to praise Him. Verses eleven and twelve in The Message read: 

Earth’s kings and all races,
    leaders and important people,
Robust men and women in their prime,
    and yes, graybeards and little children.

These verses do not say just some people should praise God but all people should praise Him. From the oldest to the youngest should praise Him. Just because we become a certain age it does not mean we should stop praising Him. I remember a few years back of an older lady running the aisles with her hankie at Camp Meeting. She was so excited and allowed the Holy Spirit to take over. In my dream last night, I allowed the Holy Spirit to take over and was so excited as I shared what He gave me with a group of people. I pray that dream comes true. I praise His Holy Name for all He gives me through His Word, dreams, other people, songs, etc. He is so, so good to me. The last verse of Psalm 148 reads...

Praise from all who love God!
    Israel’s children, intimate friends of God.
Hallelujah!

Yes! Glory! Woo hoo! Hallelujah! Let's get this day going with praises on my lips no matter what happens throughout this day!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for our time together this morning! Thank You for bringing me to Psalm 148 to remind me of the importance of praising You! I know the enemy does not like when I do so. I desire to keep praises on my lips for You throughout this day. I know the only way that can happen is for a cleansing in my soul so You can fill me with more of You. May it be so. May You be greater than me. May You empower me so I do not miss even one opportunity to show You to others. May You love on me in such a way I will not miss any opportunity You put before me. Woo hoo, God! I am so excited to get this day started. My physical body is saying 'no' but my spiritual body is saying 'bring it on'! May the spiritual body win this battle! Thank You Jesus for being The One I Praise! Amen.

Deuteronomy 31:6b - "Love Came Down"

I woke up in the middle of the night to "Love Came Down" going through my mind. It immediately sent me to praying for believers who are going through tough days. They have the Hope of Christ within them and know no matter what happens nothing surprises God. They also know they have other believers praying for them through their tough days.

Mountains high or valley low
I sing out and remind my soul
I am Yours
I am forever Yours

Yes! When we live for Christ, we have the knowledge that we are His. Oh how I pray for more people to gain this knowledge. I also pray for more believers to go deeper in their faith and allow Him full control to work in and through them. That is the ultimate way to live. When one allows Him to have His way in their life, there is such a sweetness. There is peace in the midst of the storm that is unexplainable. There is hope when circumstances appear hopeless. There is so much encouragement and love from Him that at times you feel like you can't stand it. There are times when we do need to remind ourselves He loves us and will never leave us. Sometimes the enemy tries to work through our circumstances to pull us down. We cannot let him have any open door. Each morning before we begin our day we need to pray for God to cleanse us so He can fill us. As He does this, we our made new. It also gives us a new perspective for the day. It allows us to see things through His eyes. It also allows us to love with His love. Oh how grateful I am for this way of life. Paul reminded us in Hebrews 13 of God's words spoken in Deuteronomy 31. The only way to fully comprehend these words is to be living in His Spirit.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for being who You are in my life! Thank You for Your cleansing and filling me so I can be who You desire me to be. Father, I praise Your Holy Name for Doc's blood work results! I praise You for the way You strengthen Him to eat as You have directed. Wow, God! To see such results in not only his A1C but also his other labs is nothing but a miracle! I also praise You for no surprises with my labs. Lord, these our mountain top experiences for us that we needed with so many valley experiences happening. But Father no matter whether we are on the mountain top or in the valley we know You are always with us and for that we are thankful. I pray this morning for people in the valley right now to feel Your peace through this knowledge. Meet their needs Father in a way they will know it is You. May they stand strong in their faith as they are in different valleys of life. May those who do not know You find You. May those who may have slipped away from You, return to You. Thank You Jesus for being My Forever! Amen.

  

I Corinthians 16:13-14 - "I Am Not Alone"

This morning I have a song Kari Jobe sings going through my mind...

I am not alone
I am not alone
You will go before me
You will never leave me

We are never alone. No matter how 'bad' our circumstances God is with us when we allow Him to be. There are times in life when our heart is breaking due to the death of a loved one, our illness or a family member's illness, the ending of a relationship, etc. But God is there for us. He wants us to lean into His strength. As we do, we will have His wisdom in decisions that need made. We will have His peace as we allow Him to wrap His arms around us to support us. There are so many people going through tough days. The loss of a classmate this week has me praying for people who are not living for the Lord. His death came from an accident. We never know when today will be our last day on this earth. God knows. He knows every single hair on our head. He knows everything about us. I am praying for more people to come into relationship with Him so when He calls them they will be ready to go home with Him. I'm grateful Ted found a relationship with God. I think of ones like Terry who has God's strength as she watches her brother leave this earth. These are tough days yet she has His strength that will get her through. I have a long list of people dealing with cancer that I pray for. I am grateful for the ones who are in relationship with God and pray for the ones who are not to have someone in their life who will say or do something to lead them to Him. I pray for Norma and her family with Jerry's death. I pray they will lean on God's strength which they know so well. I pray for my friend who continues to deal with his wife's alcoholism. I pray his strength will not waiver as he goes through these tough days. Most of all I pray she will turn to the Lord for strength to be an overcomer. I pray for parents with children addicted to drugs to have His strength. But once again I pray for the children to turn to the Lord. My prayers are with Gay and her family as they support her brother with his stroke. I pray for little Eli and his parents as he undergoes procedures this morning. I pray for Barbie and Chris with the loss of Toby. My prayers are with Rachael and Bill and their family with her granddaughter's illness. Also with Valerie with her pain. Prayers for Joey and his family with the loss of his father; Julie and her family with the loss of her grandma. So, so many people hurting. Praise God they have God with them. The song continues...

In the midst of deep sorrow
I see Your light is breaking through
The dark of night will not overtake me
I am pressing into You
Lord, You fight my every battle
And I will not fear

Yes! We must press into Him to receive His strength. Darkness will try to take us down but we must not allow it. We must stand firm in our faith. For those who have no faith in God, they must find it. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 16 about how we need to be ready at all time. He tells us about how we need to be alert and have our faith grounded in the Lord. We never know when the enemy will come knocking at our door. The enemy uses tough days to get us. When we are fretting over a situation or a loved one's situation, he will have a greater opportunity into our lives. We must stand firm in our faith and trust God to get us through such times. The way we can accomplish this is by allowing God to have total control of our life. The more we love Him, the more His love will flow out of us. As His love flows out of us, our faith will deepen. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for being my Strength in tough days. Thank You for all the ways You show me Your love. Father, cleanse me so You can fill me with more of Your love. May You ooze out of my words, actions, and attitude today in a new, different way. Father, there are so many going through tough days for a variety of situations. I pray they would all feel Your strength today. I pray the ones who are not in relationship with You or are feeling alone to feel Your presence in their situation. As I reflect back on tough days in my past, I am always amazed to see how You showed Yourself to me. Thank You! Thank You for being exactly what I need! Thank You for being My Strength! Amen.

Ephesians 2:4-9 - "Never Too Far Gone"

What a strange time of prayer. The Lord woke me up around 5AM to pray for a family I knew when I was growing up. The mother and father were both strange, weird...different. I'm not sure how to describe them. I remember as a young teen praying for the children to be protected from whatever was going on in their home. I knew things weren't right but yet I didn't know what was wrong. This family went to church every Sunday so they had to be 'OK' was my thinking. After the children were grown, the couple divorced. This did not make sense to me yet it did. I couldn't imagine being married to either of them. I heard later the children scattered and had little contact with their parents. That did not surprise me at all. I have not heard anything about them for years so I was surprised when God woke me to pray for them. But as I prayed He shared there was many families just like them in this world. So I began to pray for all families. I prayed for...

• ones I know who are going through tough times
• ones I know with the parents struggling due to the enemy having a stronghold such as alcoholism
• ones with one or both of the parents struggling with physical issues
• ones with children who have a disease
• one family where the father/grandfather was taken off life support and put in Hospice 
• children of divorced families to not be pulled by one parent against the other parent
• children who feel like they are not as important to their parents as their parents work, friends, etc.
• couples who are empty-nesters and have found they don't know each other
• couples who are questioning why they married their spouse to begin with
• parents who feel neglected by their adult children and vice versa
• elderly people who are lonely, especially those with children who do not contact them
• families to realize the importance of having God as the center of their life

After I prayed, I asked God to open my eyes to people who are hurting. I asked Him to put me in their path and show me how to love them with His love. I thought back on the family He woke me to pray for. I have no idea where any of them are so I prayed God would put people in their path to help heal their hurts. I also asked God to open eyes to believers for people in their lives in similar situations. I prayed for parents to be loving and supportive of their children and to realize what a gift God has given to them. I prayed for children to realize what a gift God has given them in their parents. I was thinking about a couple teen boys I saw on the news who wanted nothing other than to be adopted before they turned eighteen. When asked what kind of family they wanted, one said something about just wanting one to love him. That is sad. There are so many people in this world who just need to feel loved. Sometimes they are the hardest to love because they have been hurt so badly. Sometimes they are the easiest to love because they have the greatest desire to feel love. Oh how I pray for more people to feel the love of Jesus through me. I also pray for more people to have the same desire in their heart. As I was praying, the words to "Never Too Far Gone" came into my mind...

There's no distance too far, that I can't reach you
There's no place that's so dark, that I can't find you
Anywhere that you are, if you need proof
Take a look at these scars, and know I love you
Doesn't matter, doesn't matter, doesn't matter what you've done
You are never, you are never, never too far gone
Oh ah-oh, ah-oh

No matter what we have done or not done, God loves us. There is nothing 'too bad' to take away His love. As parents, we all make mistakes. But just as God forgives us, we need to ask our children for forgiveness. There are some parents who disagree with this. They say that will show weakness to their children and that should not be done. I believe it shows strength. It takes a lot to admit we've been wrong. Jesus sets the example for us to have a forgiving heart. Even if it something we did years ago, there is still time to make things right. When we do, our relationship with God will strengthen and most likely so will the relationship with the one we apologize to. God's love covers a multitude of sins when we repent. It will also cover all of our actions when we live in and through Him.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the privilege to pray for families. Thank You for bringing this song to my mind which shows how nothing we do can take Your love away from us. Father, cleanse me so You can fill me with more of You so I can share Your love in a new, different way today. Guide my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day. May Your love flow from me so people will see/hear You instead of me. Father, be with all those who are hurting in their relationships with family members. May they find Your love today. Heal their hurts. Love on them in a way they will know they are loved. Thank You Jesus for being The One To Love Me. Amen.

II Corinthians 4 - "Your Love Never Fails"

God woke me up in the middle of the night with an urgency to pray for a pastor's wife I am acquainted with but don't really know much about. He told me to pray for her to have peace. After I prayed for her He brought two friends to my mind that I also had been told to pray for peace for unspoken requests they have. Then He brought Carletta into my mind who is going through medical testing; a family whose loved one was taken off of life support yesterday; and many who are dealing with disease. Peace was the theme of my prayers. This morning when I woke up these words were playing through my mind..

You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There maybe pain in the night
But joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Yes! God is always there to love us. He never leaves us. That knowledge gives peace in the midst of the storms of life. It gives peace when we feel like the pain is so deep it will never go away. His love gives hope when we feel like our situation is hopeless. When our physical pain is so deep we feel like we are going to die, He gives strength in a supernatural sense. I have lived through some tough situations and I am thankful my God was with me. The deeper my faith goes, the deeper His peace goes. The more I trust Him, the more I desire to trust Him. When life throws me a curve ball, I am ready to do whatever He desires to still hit a home run. I did not always live like this. For that, I am thankful for His love, mercy, and grace. Paul spoke in II Corinthians 4 about how all we go through on this earth is nothing compared to where we are going if we live for the Lord. Sometimes when we look around we see people who do not seem to have a care in the world and we may become jealous of them. We must remember trials on this earth draw us closer to the Lord. They take our faith deeper. We should rejoice in them not complain about them. That does not seem to make sense but when you think about it that is where true peace happens. In the trials. There will be "joy in the morning" whether that be on this earth or when we are finally in heaven. There is peace with Him. The last few verses of II Corinthians 4 encourage us to not give up no matter what trials we go through. I was thinking about how I pray for peace so often for people. To some that may mean I am praying for their situation to go away but that is not necessarily so. When I pray for peace, I am praying for God's supernatural peace to be evident during whatever is happening. There is a difference. I am grateful for that knowledge. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for using me to pray for others. Thank You for that privilege. Father, I am so grateful when You speak specifically to me in my prayers. Lord, may Your supernatural peace be felt by not only those I prayed for during the night but for all who will accept it. Lord, be with this pastor's wife You brought to my mind during the night along with the many others You brought to my prayers. May Your peace be theirs in the midst of what is happening in their life. Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me today. Take away any fears the enemy is trying to put upon me. You know them. You are greater than them. May You be my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day in a great way. Thank You Jesus for being My Supernatural Peace! Amen.

Ephesians 6:10-18 - "Battles"

As I prayed for pastors last night, the Lord focused my prayers for pastors who are allowing an open door into their life in the form of fear. He had me pray for them to realize if they turn their life completely over to Him, there is nothing to fear. There will still be situations that can cause fear but as we lean into Him for strength we do not have to fear. He had me pray for those who are nearing 'retirement age' yet have no financial means to retire. He had me pray for those with physical issues or spouses with physical issues to trust Him. There are some He had me pray for who have prodigal children. For those He had me pray they will turn their situation over to Him. We are not alone. God is with us to fight our "Battles" every moment of every day. The key is allowing Him to do so. The only way for this to occur is for each of us to start our days putting the full armor of God on. We must have the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, Gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit on at all time. We also must "pray in the Spirit" not only for ourselves but for others. This is the only way the enemy will not play havoc in our lives. He will still try to weasel his way in but when we are living in God's strength, there will be no open door for him. The Lord had me praying before I went to bed and again during the night for pastors to take on this 'armor' He has for us so we can stand firm against the enemy. He reminded me to pray for open eyes for pastors. The enemy works even through people in our churches. He also reminded me He will not always take the enemy out because we can learn from such antics. Our faith can draw deeper through trials the enemy throws before us. Such trials can also grow other people's faith. As long as He has us on this earth, we need to continue to grow in our faith, striving to be more Christ-like. Fear can make us second guess ourselves. It can make us do or say things not of Him. We must not allow that to happen. We must walk in His peace and His strength. Is it possible? Most definitely! But only when we walk in the Spirit.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the privilege to pray for pastors last night. I love Saturday nights, even when they are short. Father, take away the doubts of fears pastors have as they begin their day. May more pastors walk in Your Spirit. May more have the desire in their heart to not allow fear to overtake them but instead be fearful of You. That gives the word fear a different meaning than what the world has. But Father that is what You have called us to be, different. Lord, cleanse me today so You can fill me. May You be my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day in a way You will be proud. Father, You shared with me to pray for pastors who are feeling so worn they are losing sight of You. May they experience an abundance of Your strength today. Be with my pastor as he is struggling with physical issues. May You be greater than them. Thank You Jesus for being My Armor! Amen.